Crew chiefs, NASCAR officials collaborate on DVP policy to close season

During a meeting with NASCAR Cup Series crew chiefs on Thursday, NASCAR officials clarified procedures surrounding its Damaged Vehicle Policy for the rest of the 2024 Cup Series season.

Officials will operate the policy following the same guidelines used in the Oct. 6 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway. In simplest terms, if a vehicle has flattened tires and appears able to continue but cannot be driven back, the car will be towed back to its pit stall, allowing the team to change tires and assess and repair its damage under the allotted seven-minute timeframe.

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Confusion surrounding the DVP rule came into play most recently at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 29. In a Lap 1 incident exiting Turn 2, Josh Berry‘s No. 4 Ford was struck in the right rear and sent into a slide. Damage appeared minimal, but under the previous officiating of the DVP, Berry‘s Ford was deemed out of the race and ineligible to be towed to the pit stall because he was unable to continue after contact, ending his race.

One week later at Talladega, a 28-car pileup in the closing laps resulted in numerous damaged cars stranded with flat tires at the entrance of Turn 3. Playoff contenders Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe both incurred damage but were towed back to their stalls to allow for repairs.

The clarification comes at the midpoint of the NASCAR Cup Series postseason, with the Round of 12 elimination race on deck at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).